Secrets of Endor
by SRona58
Summary: Focusing on Han/Leia in the missing scenes after they rescue Solo from the carbonite up until the Battle of Endor. How do they react to saying I love you again? Lots of Han/Leia.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This new story takes place after the group saves Han from Jabba in the beginning of the Return of the Jedi. The first chapter is a deleted scene written into the book format of the George Lucas film. I take no credit. It is simply provided to give background to where our story picks up! Please contact if you have any problems before taking action, if necessary. :)**

* * *

(Disclaimer: Italics excerpt from 'Return of the Jedi', by James Kahn and George Lucas. Print. 1983 Lucasfilm Ltd. Del Rey, Ballantine Books, New York. No credit taken.)

 **Prologue**

 _The sandstorm obscured everything – sight, breath, thought, motion. The roar of it alone was disorienting, sounding like it came from everywhere at once, as if the universe were composed of noise, and this was its chaotic center._

 _The seven heroes walked step by step through the murky gale, holding on to one another so as not to get lost. Artoo was first, following the signal of the homing device which sang to him in a language not garbled by the wind. Threepio came next, then Leia guiding Han, and finally Luke and Lando, supporting the hobbling Wookie._

 _Artoo beeped loudly, and they all looked up: vague, dark shapes could be seen through the typhoon._

 _"_ _I don't know," shouted Han. "All I can see is a lot of blowing sand."_

 _"_ _That's all any of us can see," Leia shouted back._

 _"_ _Then I guess I'm getting better."_

 _For a few steps, the dark shapes grew darker; and then out of the darkness, the_ Millennium Falcon _appeared, flanked by Luke's X-wing and a two seater Y-wing. As soon as the group huddled under the bulk of the_ Falcon, _the wind died down to something more describable, as a severe weather condition. Threepio hit a switch, and the gangplank lowered with a hum._

 _Solo turned to Skywalker. "I've got to hand it to you, kid, you were pretty good out there."_

 _Luke shrugged it off. "I had a lot of help." He started toward his X-wing._

 _Han stopped him, his manner suddenly quieter, even serious. "Thanks for coming after me, Luke."_

 _Luke felt embarrassed for some reason. He didn't know how to respond to anything other than a wisecrack from the old pirate. "Think nothing of it," he finally said._

 _"_ _No, I'm thinkin' a lot about it. That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn't just sleepin', it was a big, wide awake Nothin'."_

 _A Nothing from which Luke and the others had saved him – put their own lives in the great peril at his expense, for no other reason than that…he was their friend. This was a new idea for the cocky Solo – t once terrible and wonderful. It made him feel somehow blinder than before, but visionary as well. It was confusing. Once, he was alone; now he was a part._

 _That realization made him feel indebted, a feeling he'd always abhorred; only now the debt was somehow a new kind of bond, a bond of brotherhood. It was even freeing, in a strange way._

 _He was no longer so alone._

 _No longer alone._

 _Luke saw a difference had come over his friend, like a sea change. It was a gentle moment; he didn't want to disturb it. So he only nodded._

 _Chewie growled affectionately at the young Jedi warrior, mussing his hair like a proud uncle. And Leia warmly hugged him._

 _They all had great love for Solo, but somehow it was easier to show it by being demonstrative to Luke._

 _"_ _I'll see you back at the fleet," Luke called, moving toward his ship._

 _"_ _Why don't you leave that crate and come with us?" Solo nudged._

 _"_ _I have a promise I have to keep first…to an old friend." A_ very _old friend, he smiled to himself in afterthought._

 _"_ _Well, hurry back," Leia urged. "The entire Alliance should be assembled by now." She saw something in Luke's face; she couldn't put a name to it, but it scared her, and simultaneously made her feel closer to him. "Hurry back," she repeated._

 _"_ _I will," he promised. "Come on, Artoo."_

 _Artoo rolled toward the X-wing, beeping a farewell to Threepio._

 _"_ _Good-bye, Artoo," Threepio called out fondly. "May the maker bless you. You will watch out for him, won't you, Master Luke?"_

 _But Luke and the little droid were already gone, on the far side of the flyer._

 _The others stood without moving for a moment, trying to see their futures in the swirling sand._

 _Lando jarred them awake. "Come on, let's get out of this miserable dirt ball." His luck here had been abominable; he hoped to fare better in the next game. It would be house rules for a while, he knew; but he might be able to load a few dice along the way._

 _Solo clapped him on the back. "Guess I owe you some thanks, too, Lando."_

 _"_ _Figured if I left you frozen like that you'd just give me bad luck the rest of my life, so I might as well get you unfrozen sooner, as later."_

 _"_ _He means 'you're welcome'." Leia smiled. "We all mean you're welcome." She kissed Han on the cheek to say it personally one more time._

 _They all headed up the ramp of the_ Falcon _. Solo paused just before going inside and gave the ship a little pat. "You're lookin' good, old girl. I never thought I'd live to see you again."_

 _He entered at last, closing the hatch behind him._


	2. Chapter I

**A/N: Here starts my writing for this story. Please read and review!**

 **If you like this, check out my other Han/Leia stories, titled 'Episode V S : Raiders of Tatooine' and 'Episode IV S : The Rebel Retreat'. :)**

* * *

 **I**

The inside of the _Millennium Falcon_ made Han feel at home once again. It had been a living nightmare trapped inside the carbon freeze; the hibernation had him longing to be free. There was no place he'd rather be than the ship he called him with some of his best friends.

After Luke took off in his X-wing, Solo kicked the engines of the _Falcon_ into gear. His ship lit up in the cockpit like the two suns burning down onto Tatooine's sandy surface outside. Quickly the group strapped into the respective seats and prepared for takeoff.

The sandstorm outside picked up again once the Rebels boarded. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been when they were forced to walk through it, but it made for a difficult time lifting off into the air. The winds were rocking the hull of the _Falcon_ , making Leia feel nervous. She trusted Han, but sometimes, his piloting skills scared her. That being said, she'd been waiting to feel his jerky flying movements again since they had last been together.

"Chewie, lock our coordinates," Han ordered.

The Wookie bellowed a loud agreement. Then, he hit a button above his head and held onto the controls in front of him securely.

"Come on, baby," Solo muttered, trusting his ship as well as he used to, even though Lando had piloted it while he was frozen. "Don't fail me now."

At first, the _Falcon_ rose into the air a few feet and prepared to lift into the planet's atmosphere. Then, the humming of the engines died down and sent her falling to the desert sand, back where they started.

"What?" Han was speechless. He cut power to the engines to allow her to cool off, then tried again. Still nothing. "Ahh, come on!" His clenched fist banged the dash in front of him.

Lando seemed embarrassed. "Someone in Mos Eisley told me transferring the controls of the overdrive unit from the engines to the hyper drive might speed her up for you a bit."

Han wasn't impressed. "Transferring from the engines won't support the core for more than a couple days!" He swiveled his chair around and immediately jumped out of his seat in pursuit of the problem. When he reached the doors to the rest of the ship, he called over his shoulder, "Of all the things to modify and you pick my engines to mess with!"

Leia watched him run out into the cockpit access corridor and sighed. "Here we go again."

"I thought I'd be helping a friend out!" Lando didn't know what the remains of his crew had done to the _Falcon_. He only hoped Han could fix it easily so he wouldn't hold him at fault forever.

Chewie growled at Lando and warned him once. Leia ignored the new Alliance member. She was thankful for his help in rescuing Han, but his stunt with the overdrive had reminded her of his lack of common sense. Rule number one of piloting the _Millennium Falcon_ : never mess with Han's modifications.

"Go check on Threepio, please." Leia knew she had to help Han before he lost his cool, so she trusted the Wookie to explain to the golden droid, who was riding patiently in the main hold, that it would be just a few moments longer before they took off.

Then, the Princess was on her feet. She wandered calmly down the main corridor, taking a left until she reached the hyper drive in the engineering bay: the same place she had fallen for Han's trick to kiss her almost a year ago.

When she rounded the corner, she found Solo struggling to twist off a cap from the hyper drive unit with an old wrench. Laughing at the irony of the situation, she leaned against the entranceway's wall and observed.

"You make it so difficult sometimes," Leia called softly into the open space.

Solo didn't look up, but kept wrenching. "Me? Lando's the one making all the unauthorized changes! Who knows what else he changed while I was out of it. If I didn't know him any better, I'd sure mistake him for a—"

"A scoundrel?" Leia interrupted him, making Han stop working on the hyper drive unit and smile sheepishly.

"No, an Imperial spy," he shot back in good humor.

Leia moved from the doorway to take the wrench from Han's hand, which had to be sore already. She pressed her thumbs into his palm after she took the tool, finally capturing his gaze. "He risked a lot to help me find you. They all did."

"You're crazy, Princess," Han told her, looking into her eyes. "I was never worth it."

Leia frowned. "You make it so difficult sometimes," she repeated.

Han stepped away from the hyper drive, trying to close the space between the Princess and himself. "Come on, admit it." He was eager to turn her game back around on her.

"Sometimes I think you're all right?"

"No, not that." Han had lost her. "You love me."

Suddenly, Leia felt embarrassed and looked down at her feet. She _had_ called out to Han that she loved him back in Cloud City, but it never occurred to her that he would remember such a thing. Threepio had done some research while they were planning his rescue and noted that he easily could have forgotten simple events from right before the freezing process; it was common for other poisons and injections, so she figured it would work with coming out of hibernation, too.

She hadn't realized how long she had taken to respond until she felt Han's stare burning into the top of her head. Before she could say anything back, he pressed her further.

"You do, don't you?"

"I-"

But she was not quick enough for the smuggler. His impatience quickly turned back into anger and he dropped her hands and turned back to his hyper drive work.

"Han," Leia pleaded, wishing him to turn back to her.

"No, it's all right, your Worship. I'll be done with this soon, and then we'll be on our way back to your beloved Rebellion. I'm sure Luke will be waiting."

Silently, Leia cursed Solo's temper. "Han, it's not like that," she told him desperately.

He turned toward her again. "It's not like what?" he hissed. "Not Luke? Who, then? You love someone else, don't you?"

Leia was speechless. Han's ability to turn something kind into an argument always stunned her, but this was a new level of rude. She knew she should have made up her mind by now; her heart already had. She loved him. She had risked everything to save him. She wished he saw that and understood. But a part of her wanted to lie to Solo. She spent the past year blaming herself for losing him, just like she had lost Alderaan, and she knew it might be easier for the pirate if she cut ties with him after their rescue.

Then, Han's face softened. "I'm sorry," he told Leia sincerely. He looked at the wrench, now back in his hand, and avoided her gaze. "I guess this temper didn't go away with the blindness."

Leia accepted his apology, but she couldn't bring herself to say much more. She faked a smile and placed her hand on his shoulder, letting him know he was forgiven. She couldn't urge herself to stay, though, and realized she was turning to walk to crew quarters next door to seek the comforts of silence.

"Leia, come on, don't be like that!" Han called, but she didn't react.

 _Great_ , Leia thought to herself as the doors to the bunk room slid shut behind her. She was stuck on board the _Falcon_ for at least another thirty-two standard hours before they reunited with the rest of the Alliance. Surely she would have to face Han at some point.

* * *

Han slammed the door shut to the hyper drive unit and leaned his head against the hunk of metal protruding from the floor of his ship.

 _That should do it._

Solo hoped that the wiring was all Lando had messed with. If it were more, he'd have to root deeper into the ship; they'd be stuck on Tattooine for quite a while if that were the case.

When he made it back to the cockpit, he immediately placed himself back down into his seat. He wanted to seek out Leia and talk to her more, but now was not the time. He was more concerned with his ship not working. If he couldn't get it up and moving, they might all die from dehydration before morning.

"Buddy, listen," Lando began, but it was no use.

"Save it, Lando," Solo ordered. He glanced behind him. "Leia, you look a lot like golden rod back there."

"Oh, Captain Solo!" Threepio replied, chipper as always. "Princess Leia would like to sit through take off in the bunk cabin, sir. She says she isn't feeling well." Then, he shook his body back and forth, mimicking a human shaking his head. "Humans…"

Han didn't need to hear any more. Threepio managed to make him feel worse about the situation. "Chewie!" he growled.

The Wookie knew what to do. Immediately, he reached behind Han and shut the droid down. Han, busy pulling up the engines once more, instructed Lando to strap back in.

"I sure hope you fixed her up," Lando muttered to his friend as he buckled up.

Han ignored his comment. "Chewie, lock coordinates."

A muffled yell came from his copilot. Chewbacca pulled a lever in front of him, punched a few buttons, and placed his headset on, just in case they were contacted by anyone on their way out of the Tatooine system.

"Here we go, old girl." Solo prayed for the _Falcon_ to lift off without trouble.

And then, without skipping a beat, the ship hovered above the sand again. She hummed her engines, ready to go, and when the Captain pushed forward on the controls, she shot straight ahead and into the atmosphere of the desert-covered planet.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Han sunk down comfortably into his seat. Lando patted him on the shoulder, congratulating him for fixing his mistake. When he touched him, Chewie barked another warning; clearly, he was still feeling a little sour from the set up on Cloud City over a year ago.

"Wookies can hold a grudge," Han informed Lando. "I'd watch it if I were you." Not only could they serve a life-debt, as Chewie was for Solo, but they also found it hard to forgive, especially when they were told to forgive the person who almost killed the one their life-debt was owed to.

"No hard feelings," Lando chimed, trying to lighten the mood.

Han rolled his eyes and handed his headset to his old friend. "You lucked out with me, this time."

Lando was stunned. "You've been back nearly a couple of hours and you're already passing on the controls?"

Standing and fixing his belt and gun holster, Han shrugged. "I have some things to check out, still."

Chewie rumbled a low gargled and received a glare from Solo. He always found a way to bicker with his old copilot, especially when he called his bluff.

"Some things on the _ship,_ " Han argued. "Do us all a favor and make sure you watch where you're takin' us, will you?" He pointed at the Wookie, almost trying to goad him into saying more.

He was quiet.

Triumphant at last, Solo took a deep breath and strode out into the main corridors. Then, he paused and placed his thumbs in his belt hooks as he tried to mentally prepare for what was next.


	3. Chapter II

**A/N: WOW! I published this story about a day ago and I have to say, in just today alone, I am in AWE of all of the kind feedback! Thank you for the wonderful reviews and to everyone who had followed or favorited this story! If you want to read more, I have two other Star Wars fics posted; one set between ANH and ESB and one set between ESB and ROTJ. Take a look and let me know if you read them!**

 **That being said...here's a second chapter. This story is focusing mostly on Han/Leia, so it may be slow at times. Please keep in mind; these are periods of time not discussed in ROTJ.**

 **Read and review! :)**

* * *

 **II**

The open corridors of the _Millennium Falcon_ echoed with creaks and other miscellaneous noises. The ship had always been a piece of scrap metal tied to more pieces of scrap metal, but she was starting to finally show her age. Han made a mental note to do a routine checkup and maybe get some parts replaced with the money the Alliance would loan him.

Threepio's voice rang down the hall from behind the cockpit doors. He seemed to be warning Chewbacca about the dangers of entering hyperspace with the Captain out of his seat, but Solo was used to it. He had made many runs with Chewie in his life, and never had he been taken off his feet by a sudden light speed launch. He casually braced himself against a wall, noting the amount of time that would logically come before his ship boosted out of the Tatooine system for good.

Once it was apparent they were on their way to the Rebel base, Leia was the most important thing. For the next thirty-one hours, Han had nothing else to worry about, unless he found another surprise from Lando on his ship.

Han knocked on the crew quarters door. "Leia?" Strange; he had never had to knock before. "Come on, your Highness. Open up."

Silence. For a short moment, Solo wished he hadn't been unfrozen. At least while he was in the carbonite, he believed Leia loved him.

Another knock. Then, the door swooshed open, revealing the Princess, still in her slave bikini: but, she had let her hair down.

Han looked her up and down before he realized what he was doing. He was blind while still in Jabba's grips, and they were so busy escaping before, that he didn't pay attention to what she had been forced to wear. He met her rolling eyes when he was done, feeling shamed.

Leia could have killed him with her piercing stare. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"Leia," Solo corrected, suddenly feeling bad about teasing her. It was habit. He couldn't break it.

Then, Leia stepped aside and went back to the bunk along the back wall.

The _Falcon_ housed three bunks; for what, she didn't know. For as long as she knew, it was only Han and Chewie that had piloted the ship. That being said, she learned back on Bespin that Lando once owned the Corellian freighter.

Han smiled the half smile that was so familiar to Leia as he watched her lean against the bunk. "That one's mine, you know."

Embarrassed, Leia looked at her feet. "I thought the one on the right was yours."

"I told you that so you could have the comfortable one," Han told her, remembering their sleeping arrangements on the way to Cloud City.

The Princess smiled, making Solo feel a little bit better. Then, a realization dawned on him: he had been out of the loop for nearly a year, standard time. A year and he had no idea what had happened since then.

He made his way over to sit next to Leia. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he asked quietly.

"About a year."

"So Lando told me." Han stretched out his legs in front of him and leaned back against the wall. "What did I miss, anyway?"

 _What a loaded question_ , Leia thought. She could tell him about her time spent in the Mos Eisley cantina while she tried to find someone else to take his place. Or, she could tell him about how she foolishly stole his bunk on the Rebel base. She figured he would find that out soon enough.

"Hey," Han soothed, sensing her internal argument. He placed his hand on hers, making her blush. "We don't have to talk about it."

Solo assumed Leia was still upset about having to go a year without him, despite her confusion on if she still loved him or not. He couldn't blame her; time and distance could do that to a person.

Leia, on the other hand, didn't know where to start. If she didn't tell Han about the childish stunts she pulled, should she tell him about the small pull to the Force she had felt between her and Luke since Bespin?

Then, she decided. "Luke's a Jedi Master," she told him.

"A Jedi Master, huh?" Han wasn't buying it. Still, he tried to pay a compliment. "I guess all that mumbo jumbo isn't so fake after all."

Leia frowned. She knew he wouldn't understand. _She_ still didn't get it. Why did she feel the Force? She was a Senator from Alderaan. Royalty. She had no ties to the Jedi in her family.

"Sorry," Solo muttered. "I get it. I'll leave ya alone from now on."

When Han fixed to stand, the tugging in Leia's heart made her grip onto his hand and keep him from moving. The emotions between them were wavering ever since she had been able to hold onto him again.

The smuggler's anger kicked in again. "Look, Princess," he barked as he jumped up. "Either you love me or you don't."

"Han…"

"Ahh, I know what you're doing. You think I won't find out about what went on while I was gone. But don't you worry, your Worship. There's no hiding from _this_ pilot." Solo pointed at his chest.

Leia struggled inside. Part of her found Han adorable for pouting like he was. The other part wanted to smack him. For all the times he was insensitive, right after her big rescue was the worst time to pick. This was not the reuniting she had pictured.

He continued his ranting. "I don't get it. You risk your life, Chewie's life, Lando and Luke, all to save me. And then what? Then you're takin' a blaster to my head in your mind. Well, I don't like it!" he claimed matter-of-factly.

"Han, calm down," Leia ordered.

Then, his face softened, but he still stood a distance away from her, filling the air with tension.

"You know there's extra clothes underneath that bunk over there, right?" Changing the subject was always Han's way of avoiding an apology.

"I know."

"Why don't you change out of that? Then, we'll talk."

"This? I thought you'd like it." Leia had to crack a joke to settle him down.

"I don't like anything that reminds me of that slug."

Finally, she agreed to talk to Han after she could rest. That would give Leia time to think. Time to decide what to do next. Time to figure out if she should stay with him or not. She could regroup.

* * *

"I told you he'd beat you again," Han blurted out, rolling his eyes.

He had just witnessed the worst game of sabacc ever played. Chewie had attempted to sharpen Threepio's skills with a practice match. House rules and no bets to ease the loss, of course, but Chewie was a champion. Han had taught him long ago, back before he had even won the _Falcon_ off of Calrissian.

"My circuits miscalculated the odds of that last move!" the golden droid shouted in sorrow. "Oh, I'll never be good at this game!"

"Don't feel so bad about it, goldenrod." Interest in the droid's affairs was not Han's strong suit.

Chewie warbled a grunt and collected the dice from the table. They were the same golden pair Han had used when he beat Lando. He had kept them; they brought luck to the _Falcon_ 's crew.

"Yeah, yeah, celebrate all you want, fuzz ball."

Another wail from Chewie and a big Wookie fist hit the center of the sabacc table in front of him.

Across the room, Han lifted an eyebrow. "You think you can beat _me_?" He laughed. "I'd take you up on it, but I'd be too easy."

Chewie growled.

"I'm not scared, I'm waiting for the Princess," he argued slyly, leaning forward from his seat in the corner.

The Wookie was obviously not buying it, for he continued to banter with the Captain.

Han sneered at him, ready to make a snide remark back, but Threepio interrupted.

"Captain Solo, maybe it would be best to accept Chewbacca's invitation," the robot warned.

Shooting Threepio a glare, Han retorted, "That Wookie's got nothin' on me, metal head. Besides, he owes me a life-debt." He glanced at Chewie, knowing he had him best. "Don't ya, buddy?"

Chewbacca gargled in defeat and closed down the sabacc table for the time being.

Suddenly, "Oh, heavens! I had _no_ idea the time! Er, Captain Solo," Threepio pardoned. "Would it be all right if I shut down for a while?"

"Sure, golden rod." Sarcasm. That was it. Sarcasm was Han's strong suit. "We'll be waiting for your return."

"Oh, nonsense! I'll only take a short rest."

Threepio shut himself down, still sitting in the seat next to Chewbacca. He would spend most of the ride there; it was easy for the droid to remain in one position for long periods of time, unlike the human ability.

"I still wonder where Luke found that hunk of metal," Han muttered to himself.

Then, in the doorway stood a familiar feminine figure in familiar smuggler clothes. Her appearance was announced by Chewbacca, who greeted her kindly.

Han, wanting time to talk to her on his own, nudged his friend to vacate the space. "Go check on Lando up there, will you?" The smuggler's friend was still piloting the ship alone.

Leia smiled at Chewie as he passed to make his way back towards the cockpit. For a second, he stopped and barked something at her. She still didn't understand much, but she got the gist of it when Han yelled back, "Stay out of it, laser brain!"

"You look…" Solo struggled for words.

"Comfortable," Leia suggested, feeling much better to be out of that horrid slave outfit. Now, she wore one of Han's old shirts, which acted as a small dress on her petite body.

Solo motioned toward the seat on the end of the booth, asking her to sit to face him so they could talk. He suddenly wished Threepio had gone elsewhere to shut down; the droid took up any possibility of Han getting close to Leia to chat. Then again, maybe it was for the best, given their rocky restart.

"That looks good on you." The complimenting thing was new for Han.

Blushing, Leia thanked him. "So we've got twenty-eight standard hours. What would you like to know?" she asked, opening the table for discussion.


	4. Chapter III

**A/N: Again, thank you all for the kind words in review! :) I'm writing this, as well as the next chapter, while watching the Last Crusade for some Harrison Ford inspiration - hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **III**

A year was a long time for a human. Even for other celestial beings, it was a good hunk of life. Too much had happened to catch up completely, but it would be a start.

Being locked inside the carbonite was a hell of its own. Han as not awake, yet not asleep. He was frozen in time, position, and life.

Leia had tried to catch Solo up on the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance since their last great adventure over the next hour. Thankfully, she hadn't much to tell. They were finalizing a plan to annihilate the rest of the Empire, but she wasn't told the details. She had none to pass on.

"They've left 'em alone for the past year, huh?" Solo asked.

It seemed as though to entire Alliance had postponed its missions in order to rescue him. Once again, he didn't feel so alone anymore.

Leia corrected him. "Not really _alone_. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar have been tracking Vader's transport."

He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. "Well I'm here now. Tell 'em we're ready to go out and get those Imperial scum bags!" It was obvious that courage, or something like it, had never left the smuggler.

Leia smiled, appreciative. "They'll fill us in once we board," she promised.

"What about Luke?" Han asked. He had become very fond of the kid since their previous battles. Now, he felt like he owed him something for saving him.

"He'll rejoin us at base."

"Good." Solo paused. "Hey, you and the kid aren't…"

"No, of course not!" Leia burst out. For a second, she felt insulted. Then, she let it blow over. "Don't be so hostile all the time."

"Hostile?" Solo repeated. "More like—" _Jealous._ His mind wouldn't let him say it.

"Like what?" Now, Leia was intrigued.

"Nothing," he muttered.

Leia didn't believe him, but didn't press the matter. She didn't want to ruin any moment with Han. For once, she felt better about their relationship thus far. She _had_ gotten him back, hadn't she? There was no saving Alderaan, but she beat the Empire this time. Maybe everything she loved _wasn't_ lost forever.

"He's been training with a Jedi Master, you know," Leia told the Corellian.

"Huh."

"The Alliance could use his tricks to our advantage," the Princess thought out loud. Then, even though she knew Han didn't believe in the Jedi tricks, she felt it was time to tell him about everything going on between the two of them. It would make her decision easier for her, depending on his reaction. "He's been teaching me a little, too."

Han looked Leia over for a moment, judging by her face that she was being serious. He took a moment to figure out what to say back, and then, "Has he?" That was all.

Leia picked up the hint of disgust in his voice that he was trying to mask. "It's not all bad, Han."

"Just a little bit of delusion," he agreed sarcastically. "Yeah, nothing bad." Then, Solo sat back in his lone chair and relaxed, trying to look as untouched by the topic as he could.

"It works," she insisted.

"If you say so, Princess."

Leia was quiet. Solo wasn't mean to her about the Force, but he wasn't as understanding as she had hoped he would be, either. She should have assumed as much.

Han was about to open his mouth to apologize so she knew he wasn't _trying_ to be the low life, sarcastic scoundrel she used to know, but they were soon interrupted by the footsteps of another human being coming down the corridors from the cockpit.

"Lando," Leia guessed out loud, trying to prove her worth to Han and show him the Force was growing stronger with her.

"Everything okay, buddy?" Han asked as his friend appeared in the entrance way to the main hold.

He confirmed as much. "Chewie's taking over for a bit."

Lando slid into the booth on the other side of Threepio, who was still resting, and sprawled out until he was comfortable.

"Careful," Solo warned. "Don't wanna wake golden rod."

"Lando," Leia greeted, glad to focus on something other than Han's constantly changing attitude. "How long until we reach the Alliance?"

"If I can understand Wookie like I think I can," he began, "Then we're about twenty-six standard hours out."

Han was surprised by his skill.

"I'll alert them once we get within three hours," Leia decided. "Thank you," she added, forgetting she had asked him a question.

Calrissian grinned. It was apparent that he wanted to know how the two were doing, but he didn't dare ask.

Han would have rolled his eyes if no one was watching. His friend was always one with the ladies, and it was no different with Leia. That being said, he seemed to have let up quite a bit since they had been in Jabba's palace.

 _The Princess must have told him how it is_ , Han decided.

Then, he was shown otherwise.

"So where's the beautiful Princess get to sleep tonight, Han old buddy?" Lando smiled deviously at Leia, who forced a fake smirk back before meeting Han's gaze with icy eyes.

Solo took the warning to heart. "Figured you could call the third hold home for tonight," he told his friend. "Got a couple blankets in storage that you can have."

"Ahh, you two love bird get the nice bunks, do ya?" Lando teased.

"Han and I will be sleeping in the crew quarters," Leia told him coolly. She still wasn't fond of his bold personality.

"And you never take a bunk from a Wookie," Han added, noting how angry Chewie would be if he found his space destroyed.

"Perhaps I should retire, then." Calrissian stood, bidding goodnight to his fellow shipmates. "You sure he knows where he's goin' up there?"

"Lando," Han began, amused by the question. "Chewie's piloted this baby just as much as I have. I don't doubt him for a second."

"Then I trust we'll get there safely."

Lando took a quick, small bow before disappearing into the corridors again. Leia sighed in relief, glad that she didn't have to try to avoid his attempted romance for long.

Solo looked in Leia's direction again as he got out of his chair. He held out a hand to her in a gesture that begged for her compliance. He wanted to know more about where they stood. He wanted to know how she felt about him now. He wanted her to tell him everything, but it had been a long time.

Hesitation spread across Leia's face.

"Don't worry, Princess. You can keep your bunk."

" _Your_ bunk," she corrected. As she eased up, Leia took Han's extended hand and was on her feet.

"Ah, don't do that."

"Do what?" Her innocence killed him.

"This smuggler's had enough nights on that thing," Solo said, pointing at himself with his free hand as they walked out of the main hold. It was a gesture he did frequently. "'Sides, I could use a night in the cockpit. I missed this old girl."

Leia frowned. She froze in place, gazing up at Han with disappointment filling her brown eyes.

Solo read her expression, sighed, and looked around the hold before meeting her gaze again. "Do you love me?" The question was straight forward.

"I…" Leia thought. Yes, she loved him. But something was still preventing her from saying so. Then, she threw out an order without thinking. "Stay with me."

Han pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head.

He wasn't alone.

* * *

At some point during the night, everything seemed to become a lot smaller. The ship became home again. The crew quarters barely seemed to house three bunks, and the darkness enclosed the one that was occupied.

The _Millennium Falcon_ rocked slightly. Its components moaned as it shuddered. Then, silence.

Leia mumbled and stretched out in her sleep. It was instinct to react to any sound with a jump out of bed, but the last year had left her vulnerable. The many nights she knocked out to Corellian ale and whiskey had left her soft.

For Han Solo, it was the opposite. The minute his ship faltered he shot up in bed, causing him to tumble to the floor. He wasn't used to sharing the small bunk with someone.

"Ah," Solo grumbled, rubbing his head.

Leia sat up, hit the switch to a small light above their bunk, and pulled the blankets off. "Han?"

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart," he ordered. "Just us kicking out of hyperspace."

Leia scanned him over. He slept without a shirt; something she hadn't seen before. She felt embarrassed for a moment for never changing out of his shirt she had stolen earlier. The long night on the pillow had left his head a mess. For once, he fit the part of 'scruffy looking'.

Smirking, the Princess got off the bunk and bent down to check out his head injury.

"Luck isn't in your favor, is it?" she asked him in good humor.

Han waved her hands off of him as she tried to part his hair to look for blood. He felt like a little kid being checked over. "Leia, I'm fine," he growled.

The _Falcon_ faltered again.

Han's confused expression proved to Leia that he knew this was just the ship leaving hyper space.

"Han?" she questioned.

"Shhh!"

Solo held out his hand to keep her behind him and hushed the Princess. Then, another rock and the lights grew dim. He caught himself with his free hand on the floor to stabilize them both.

Leia tried to sound reassuring. "Surely the Empire wouldn't—"

"This isn't the Empire." Han got to his feet.

"What?"

"Lando." Solo began for the cockpit.

"Lando?" Leia repeated. "What about Lando?"

But Han was already on his way out of the bunk room.

Leia scrambled to her feet, but by the time she was ready to race after Han, the cabin dimmed and the lights shut down completely. She could hear the hum of the power supply cutting out and shutting off somewhere in the wiring of the ship.

"Han Solo, don't you leave me in here!" she shouted, stumbling as she tried to feel out the wall so she could stand up right.


	5. Chapter IV

**A/N: I had a boring stay at home day today. I watched a couple movies and wrote, and not much else. So, here's chapter two of today! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **IV**

The Captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ seldom didn't know what he was doing. The ship had so many modifications and installments that it didn't _matter_ what he did – she could fix herself. Since his return, though, Han Solo had already witnessed two problems with his old prized possession.

"Lando!" he shouted, announcing his entrance to the third hold. He banged on the side of the wall to wake his friend.

The darkness shadowed the room like the cape of Darth Vader. There was no seeing Calrissian, or anyone else, until the lighting came back. In space, everything was dark.

Solo heard a muffled question come from the floor of the open space. "This ship's got enough power to push us into the next galaxy. What else did ya you do to it?"

"I swear, Han, I didn't do anything." Lando sounded as though he were still half asleep.

From somewhere on the other side of the wall, Solo could hear his copilot's bellowing yowls of distress as he tried to fix the problem. Then, a familiar robotic voice. Treepio had rebooted himself.

"Oh dear, oh my!" the droid cried. "Chewbacca, how will we ever get out of this mess?!"

"Get up and help me and Chewie figure this mess out!" Han then ordered, kicking at the solid shape he sensed in front of him.

Then, the Corellian scurried out to the corridors. He half ran into Chewbacca on his way towards the cockpit; his friend had the same idea as he had.

"Chewie!" Han shouted in surprise. "Where's golden rod?"

A wail escaped the Wookie's throat, informing him that he left him in piloting position for when the electricity returned. Then, he complained that he couldn't see anything.

"Ahh, I know, Chewie, come on!" he called, tugging at the big fur ball's arm. "Lando's got this thing all cross wired. Even I don't know where to start." Han heard the Wookie's footsteps behind him as he headed toward the main hold. There, he could access the maintenance opening. "Hand me that circuit blaster, will ya?" He pointed at the tool kit he knew was located on the floor in the corner of the room.

Chewie confirmed the request and tossed him something that resembled a small welding tool after a few minutes of sorting through the tools in the dark. Han lifted the hatch on the floor, then caught it easily. He plunged into the dark hole, hoping he remembered where everything presented itself.

The circuit blaster worked like a flashlight, in short amounts of time. The end needed to heat up before it could take out any unnecessary wires, giving him a few moments of light.

While Solo searched for the quick fix, Lando found his way into the main hold behind the Wookie.

"I forgot to mention," he began. Chewbacca already started his complaints in fury, but Calrissian was forced to continue, anyway. "She took a pretty good hit coming down onto Tatooine."

"What do you mean 'a good hit'?"

Chewie gargled his side of the story, alerting Han that Lando had forgotten to alter the thrusters when he brought her down.

Lando didn't argue. "She took down on the port-side. Think she clipped the hatch."

"And you're just now telling me this?!"

Han was in disbelief. If the port-side was as bad as it sounded, it could blow the whole hatch off of the loading dock. Space was full of pressure. It was no wonder light speed had been so shaky; the weight on that side of his ship must have been bringing her down.

"She seemed to be flying all right," Lando answered.

Solo could feel the shrug through the darkness. Pulling himself back onto the main hold's floor, he felt around for the top of the hatch. He replaced it and covered the gaping hole on the floor.

Then, Han was on a mission to find his way toward the back side of the ship. The goal was to locate the port-side docking ring in this maze of blackness before anything else went wrong. If the door blew, there was no way of fixing it.

* * *

Leia maneuvered the crooked hallways of the _Falcon_ well, especially for being away from the ship for so long. She willed herself to use her memory to navigate the dark space, but she knew inside that the Force was the only thing that would pull her toward Han's voice. Without it, she would be lost.

Giving in, she calmed her mind and listened for the smuggler. As if the lights had come back on, she was able to feel his presence and figure out where he was off to.

 _The port-side docking bay?_ Leia thought. _Have we been invaded?_

Her feet found their way to the side of the ship. Thankfully, the port-side was located next to the crew quarters, so there wasn't far to go.

"Han?" she shouted into the nothingness.

"I'm here," he called back to her from the wall. "This doors about to go though." A pause. Then, "Hey, Lando! You still got any of that bacta fresher from that third Ylesia run you took?"

"If you didn't pull it out of the panels in the ceiling hatch since."

"Ceiling hatch?" Han laughed. "Why bother? I just climb on top when she needs looked at."

"Bacta?" Leia questioned. "You've had bacta on this ship the whole time and haven't shared with the Alliance?" She sensed Han was rolling his eyes. He was obviously not thinking about the same things as she was. "Han, you _know_ that's a precious gift for the Rebellion!"

"Save it, Princess," he snapped. "Clock's tickin'!"

"Give me a second!" Lando called and headed across the hall.

A bolt squeaked on the door in front of Solo. "We don't have a second, buddy!" he warned hurriedly.

"Got it!"

Lando tossed Han a package about the size of his palm.

"Good," he thanked him, relieved. "Chewie, hold this latched so I can seal this."

" _Seal it_?" Leia asked, stunned at the use of the ointment.

"Look, your Worship. You want to live? Then we're usin' this as a cement until we dock on your ship." Han sometimes bordered nasty when he was in a panic, but she was used to it.

Leia was quiet.

Chewie barked as he held the door just in case it decided to give in while Han was temporarily repairing it.

"I know it's just a quick fix," Solo replied sharply. "The circuits are probably blown over to hold this thing shut."

He listened to Chewie's remarks as he began to spread the glue-like material across the borders of the hatch.

"I bet ya we're up and running again as soon as I get this thing-"

A crack, and the bolt loosened from the bottom, where Han had not yet reached. Suddenly, the door rattled as the pressure from the outside pulled at it.

Chewbacca, who was surprisingly stronger than Leia expected even a Wookie to be, held on, keeping it sealed and the air steady inside the cabin.

"The bottom, Chewie, watch the bottom!" Han yelled in panic as he circled the top part of the door.

Leia, witnessing a small piece of fiber tearing in the bottom corner, quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Focusing on the room, she located her surroundings. To the left was a tool; the circuit blaster Han had let go when it was time to apply the bacta to the door frame. There was nothing to the right. However, she noted the hatch behind her that Lando had left open. It was a solid sheet, capable of covering the space and momentarily patching the hole if she needed to. The _Falcon_ wouldn't _need_ the top sealed. There was no access to outside from there, just another hatch located within the mess of controls that made up the top of the ship. As long as that one was functioning, it would be okay to steal this hunk of metal.

She wanted to grab it and place it, but the ship rocked as the hole widened and she lost her footing. Leia then felt the weight of Lando holding onto her so she wouldn't run into anything while Han was attempting to fix them up.

"I'm goin' as fast as I can, buddy!" Han shouted in distress.

The hole was ripping too fast for him to seal everything shut.

Leia kept her eyes closed and focused on the piece of metal which was now to her side. Slowly, she tuned out everything else around her. It was difficult, but she needed to. She would not lose Han again. Not like this. The Princess remembered what Luke had taught her and pictured the object in her mind. Then, she was able to lift it just enough to glide it across the floor.

The hatch door clanked against the floor as it traveled. Solo, not knowing the object was coming, was unable to move out of the way. It banged against his upper back and top of his head as he was tracing the bottom side of the door. After it managed to move around him, it placed itself on the remains of the bacta and stuck to the other hatch.

Chewie yowled in celebration and Lando clapped once in a cheer. His great Wookie cry echoed through the dark cabins, which were only dark for a moment longer. As Han had predicted, the power sourced were focusing their energy on keeping the hatch shut, straining the wiring throughout the ship's exterior walls.

When the room was illuminated again, Leia felt the eyes of her friends burning into her. Lando looked confused; obviously unaware of how the smaller hatch had made it across the room. Chewie, on the other hand, was pulling at it, making sure it was sealed.

"It's good," Han murmured from the floor.

Solo was positioned against the wall next to the door, rubbing his head. For his first day back, he was sure taking a beating.

"Han!" Leia cried, rushing to his side. "I'm so sorry!" The worry in her voice was over the top.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he told her, his arm then lifted to rub his sore shoulder. "What'd you do, anyhow?"

She blushed. How could she explain how she had moved the hatch? She couldn't. "It was Luke."

"Luke?" Han questioned. "Luke's not even on board."

"He taught me how to do that," Leia corrected.

"Right," he mumbled. "The Force."

The Princess kept her mouth flat. She would argue with him, but what was the point? She had proven herself, whether he would accept it or not.

Before she could make a statement back, the pirate tipped his head back and slumped down against the wall.

"Han!" Leia shouted, fearing the worst. She shook him, soft at first, then hard. "Han, are you okay?!"

Then, he smiled. It was the same smile she had seen on the _Falcon_ before. The same smile he had shared on Bespin, and the same smile he had given her sadly before the carbonite pit. Suddenly, it all came rushing back.

Her fear turned to relief. "I love you, nerf herder," she told him softly.

Chewie groaned from the back, agonized by their portrayal.

Han, with his eyes still closed, bantered with the Wookie. "Hear that, Chewie?" he asked. "She loves me."

Then, his smile faded and he fell over into Leia's arms, unconscious.


	6. Chapter V

**A/N: Here's another chapter for you all. I wrote this watching two different Harrison Ford movies that I really want to recommend. One, I'm sure you've all watched: Air Force One. The other I just discovered, and found it wonderfully hilarious: Regarding Henry. Basically, Harrison plays a man who is shot and loses his memory. The writing reminds me a ton of Forest Gump. It has a lot of humor and heart felt moments, and shows a different side of Ford's acting abilities. Definitely recommend!**

 **As always, please read and review! Sorry this is short - I'm a bit tired tonight.**

* * *

 **V**

Time was one of those things that Han never took for granted. Years of running for his life had left him valuing the thing that never stopped moving. When he was locked in the carbonite, time didn't exist. Nothing existed. That year was a whole, black, nothing.

Strangely, Han found himself in a similar position. Everything was empty. Everything was dark. He lie motionless, unable to pull himself into reality.

And then, out of nowhere, a voice brought him back to reality.

"This is Leia Organa and the _Millennium Falcon_ ," it spoke. "I repeat, we are nearing your coordinates and are preparing for docking."

Han's vision became clearer. It brightened much quicker than it had after being released from the carbonite. He was on his back, looking up. Looking up at the top of the _Falcon_. And then, up at a golden droid's electric eyes.

"Oh, Captain Solo, you're awake!" Threepio cheered with excitement.

"Hey, golden rod," Solo muttered, still coming to. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Oh, a minor concussion, sir. Nothing to worry about, I assure you."

"Concussion, huh?" Han repeated. He sat up, the pounding in his head rushing back. He lifted a hand to his forehead, as though it would help. "Where's Leia?"

"Relaying a message to the Alliance, sir," Threepio informed him. "It seems we have just about reached our destination."

"Great," Han cursed. He had been out of most of their time alone.

Then, a familiar face peeked in from the doorway. The long hair that was left down over the past day and a half had been sealed up in a tight braid again, as though they had never left Hoth. The only thing different were the Princess's clothes.

"Hey," Leia whispered, approaching the side of the bunk they shared the night before. "You're awake."

"And you're in my pants," Solo commented, observing the pair of light gray bottoms she wore, lined with golden Corellian military stripes.

Leia blushed. "I didn't have anything else after we left Tatooine," she told him."

"No," Han corrected her. "They look good on you." Then, he added, "And the shirt."

Leia wore a long sleeved, off white shirt, similar to the one Solo wore. He had many of the same kind, all with a remotely small difference in style. She figured he could spare one.

"Thanks." Leia was embarrassed. She had never stolen his clothes before this trip…at least, not that he knew of. She promised herself never to mention the Rebel base to him.

Solo swung his legs off the side of the bunk to face her, still rubbing his head. "I was out for a while, huh?"

"I thought I'd lost you again," she admitted somberly.

"Hate to break it to ya, Princess, but it's gonna take a lot to get rid of this smuggler."

Leia smiled. It was a genuine smile, and Han could tell. For all the times that she had forced one to trick him, he had learned her ways. And, it reminded him…

"You love me." This time, it was a statement.

Sighing, Leia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yes, fly boy, I do."

Then, it was Han's turn to smile. He rarely showed emotion, but now that he had Leia, things were different. He pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him. He let his face rest on her stomach, listening to the faint beat of her heart as it traveled through her body.

"Say it."

"I love you," she told him, and that was the best thing he had heard all day.

Han looked up at her as he stood. His smile was replaced with something that almost resembled shock. For a moment, he had thought she would have changed her mind again. But she hadn't.

Solo didn't release her; he wanted to hold her for as long as he could. The night before had been blissful, falling asleep with her next to him for the first time. Even with the rude awakening, he would do it all over again.

Cupping her face with his right hand, Solo tilted her chin up towards him so he could look into her chocolate brown eyes. His smile reappeared as he studied her face, which brought a new one to hers, as well.

Then, the space between them closed as Han brought his lips to hers. He felt her soft, warm mouth greet his and finally, they reunited.

He longed to kiss the Princess again since their stop in Bespin, but there hadn't been a right time. The one in Jabba's palace hardly counted, because they were soon rushed to find a way out.

Han meant the kiss to be tender, soft, and short, to remind her that he loved her too. He had wanted more. He wanted to _show_ her he cared for her. He wanted to show her his thanks for risking everything to rescue him. But right now, there was no time for such a kiss.

When they broke apart, Leia found herself still standing on her tip toes. Han was much taller than her – nearly a foot- which made it difficult to kiss him sometimes. She craned her neck up to hold their gaze.

What came next surprised her.

"I love you, too, Leia," Han told her.

The first time she had told him she loved him, Han had told Leia 'I know', and that was all. That was all there was time for, without looking less brave. The second time she told him she loved him, he had passed out in her lap on the floor of the _Falcon_. But this time, Solo had returned the compliment, and he had even used her name.

Leia jumped at him, nearly knocking Han off his feet, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. The Senator was almost always difficult to read, but just this once, she was making her feelings known.

Their moment was soon interrupted, though, as Threepio, who was monitoring the radios from just outside the room, relayed a message from the Alliance to the Princess. "Terribly sorry to interrupt, but the Admiral has cleared us to land, Captain Solo." Then, the golden droid stumbled back into the hallways and towards the cockpit.

Han growled softly in annoyance of the timing. He kissed Leia's head, and then had to push her back.

"Guess we gotta help Chewie land this ship," he said, depressed.

Leia looked to the side, avoiding his eye contact. She immediately dropped her arms from his torso and took a step back to give Solo space. He noticed.

"What is it, Leia?" Han's concern wasn't shielded.

The Princess shook her head, then clasped her hands in front of her. She studied them as she struggled for words. "I…"

Han's eyes lured her on, hoping to pull the rest of the sentence out of her. Eventually, Leia brought her gaze back up to him. He could read it all without another word.

"I get it," he mumbled. Solo frowned and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Then, he began his journey towards the cockpit.

"Han!" Leia called, following him into the corridors.

He spun around to face her. "You haven't told them, have you?"

The situation reminded Leia a lot of Hoth, when the Captain had confronted her in the Rebel base. "Han, I-"

"You don't want them to know, do you?" he interrupted her, his blood boiling with shame and embarrassment. Then, he leaned back on his heels. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Your secrets safe with me." Solo pointed to himself once more before he continued on his way to the cockpit.

Leia felt ashamed for what she had just admitted. Sure, she hadn't fully told the Alliance about their relationship. For all they knew, she was researching the possibility of a new Rebel base on Tatooine. The time she spent there might have been mostly in the Mos Eisley cantina, trying to hone in on Han's presence, but they hadn't known that. The only members of her crew that knew of their love were on the ship, aside from Luke.

For a moment, Leia wondered what it would hurt to let the rest of the Alliance know. She feared her image as a Senator, Princess, and Alliance leader would come into question, for one. Dating a pirate, thief, and smuggler would give her a bad rap to anyone outside of her circle. She heard the talk behind Solo's back. People believed he was a good pilot, but no one expected him to stay loyal. She hadn't the heart to admit that to him, though. For two, her decisions would become much more complicated. Mon Mothma had finally given her full trust. The last thing she needed was the Alliance to question her intentions.

Then, Leia focused on the good. Maybe the Alliance would accept Han if she decided it were to be so. Maybe they could be happy for her. And maybe, just maybe, they would understand the need for the search and rescue mission that had nearly lost the lives of their best soldiers.

Undecided, Leia followed the Corellian into the cockpit, where Chewie and Lando were beginning to enter the surrounding space of the Rebellion frigate.


	7. Chapter VI

**A/N: Don't worry, this isn't the end of this story. I will be putting parts of the real book into this, just to show markers as to where we are in the story line of Return of the Jedi.**

***(Disclaimer: Italics excerpt from 'Return of the Jedi', by James Kahn and George Lucas. Print. 1983 Lucasfilm Ltd. Del Rey, Ballantine Books, New York. No credit taken.)***

 **As always, please drop a review if you read!**

* * *

 **VI**

"Easy, easy… Let her down nice and slow, now."

Han Solo slowly guided his beloved ship onto the landing dock of the Alliance frigate. Chewbacca copiloted, aiding him nicely in his attempt to land the _Falcon_ with minimal damage. After the events that had happened on the trip to rejoin the Rebellion, the best landing would be as if she never touched down at all.

Chewie yowled in relief as the ship touched the floor and rested. In habit, he began the shutdown process, hitting switches above his head, followed by a series of button beneath.

Captain Solo ripped off his headset. Lando patted his shoulder, then made his way out of the cockpit to lower the boarding ramp on the starboard side. Then, Han's seat spun around and he was on his feet, following his friend to the entrance.

On his way out of the cockpit, he glanced at Leia. They exchanged a few seconds of a frustrated look, and then he proceeded past her and out the door.

"Chewie, wake Threepio, please," Leia requested softly. The droid had shut himself down again upon arrival. She placed her hand on the Wookie's shoulder from the seat behind him in thanks, then she made her way after Han and Lando.

The boarding ramp slowly lowered. Leia had never been so nervous before. She had not been herself for the past year, and the Alliance surely had picked up on that. She had demanded a search and rescue and volunteered the Rebellion's best soldiers in order to save Solo. The reaction they would receive would immediately show her her current place within the freedom fighter's army.

Lando made the first steps onto the Rebellion frigate and off of the _Millennium Falcon_. Receiving him was most of the Rebel Alliance. The Gold and Red squadron pilots were standing among the military control personnel. In front stood Admiral Ackbar, his first officers, also Mon Calimari, and Mon Mothma.

Nervously, Leia glanced at Han, who was standing by her side. He didn't look back down at her until a few moments later. Her eyes begged him to forgive her, but he didn't notice.

Instead, he told her, "should've changed out of those pants, your Highness."

The Princess looked at him with confusion clouding her eyes.

"Don't you think it's obvious they're mine?" Solo asked.

"Don't be so full of yourself," Leia couldn't help but snap back.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say, Princess. But last I checked, you weren't from Corellia, or ever in the Corellian Naval Unit."

Suddenly, Leia was a whole new kind of embarrassed. But, being the leader that she was since the war against the Empire began, she knew she had to keep her head held high and ignore the gossip that may or may not travel. After all, it wasn't her fault she had no clothes to wear after Jabba had enslaved her.

Seeing the panic in her face, Han frowned and muttered a "sorry" briefly before they were expected to step off with Lando.

The Alliance was quiet. The ship echoed as it rocked in dead space. Lando exited first. Leia expected cheers upon their arrival, but she knew what they were really waiting for: to see if they had rescued Captain Solo from Jabba the Hutt.

Leia held her breath as she stepped out next, her footsteps in sync with Han's as they traveled down the boarding ramp. When they made it to the bottom, Lando stepped aside, revealing the Princess and her winning rescue. The freedom fighters erupted.

Looking around the crowd, she saw the likes of Wedge and Dreis jumping to hug one another. High fives were given in celebration. The red, gold, and green squadrons became one, thrilled to have their pilot back. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar had faint smiles, looking relieved to see that the mission had worked.

It wasn't until Chewbacca and See-Threepio stepped off of the _Falcon_ behind them that Leia finally felt a smile spread across her face. She gazed around the crowd in front of her, and then looked up at Han.

Solo looked happy. He grinned as he waved at his supporting pilots and military members. For once, he felt like this was his home. It reminded him that it wasn't just the group that had saved him that made him feel wanted.

Then, Leia had the courage to do something she hadn't done yet. Catching Solo's eye as he glanced in her direction, she flashed him a true smile and grasped his hand in hers. Finally, she was ready for the Alliance to know.

The group began to head towards Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar, glad to be received so light heartedly. Lando patted Han on the back once more as he and the Princess caught up to him, and the three walked together, with Chewie and Threepio trailing behind. Leia and Han walked hand in hand the whole way, happy to start something new among the Alliance.

* * *

 _Han, Chewie, Leia, and the two droids greeted Lando's appearance with a cacophony of cheers, laughs, beeps, and barks._

 _"_ _Well, look at you," Solo chided, straightening the lapel of Calrissian's new uniform and pulling on the insignias: "A general!"_

 _Lando laughed affectionately. "I'm a man of many faces and many costumes. Someone must have told them about my lttle maneuver at the battle of Taanab." Taanab was an agrarian planet raided seasonally by bandits from Norulac. Calrissian – before his stint as governor of Cloud City – had wiped out the bandits against all odds, using legendary flying and unheard of strategies. And he'd done it on a bet._

 _Han opened his eyes wide with sarcasm. "Hey, don't look at me. I just told them you were a 'fair' pilot. I had no idea they were looking for someone to lead this crazy attack."_

 _"_ _That's all right, I asked for it. I_ want _to lead this attack." For one thing, he_ liked _dressing up like a general. People gave him the respect he deserved, and he didn't have to give up flying circles around some pompous Imperial military policeman. And that was the other thing – he was finally going to stick it to this Imperial navy, stick it so it hurt, for all the times he'd been stuck. Stick it and leave his signature on it._ General _Calrissian, thank you._

 _Solo looked at his old friend admiration combined with disbelief. "Have you ever seen one of those Death Stars? You're in for a very sort generalship, old buddy."_

 _"_ _I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it," Lando smiled._

 _"_ _Maybe they did," Han intimidated. "But I'm not crazy. You're the respectable one, remember? Baron-Administrator of the Bespin Cloud City?"_

 _Leia moved closer to Solo and took his arm protectively. "Han is going to stay on the command ship with me…we're both very grateful for what you're doing, Lando. And proud."_

 _Suddenly, at the center of the room, Mon Mothma signaled for attention. The room fell silent. Anticipation was keen._

 _"_ _The data brought to us by the Bothan spies have been confirmed," the supreme leader announced. "The Emperor has made a critical error, and the time for our attack has come."_

 _This caused a great stir in the room. As if her message had been a valve letting off pressure, their heads with comment. She turned to the hologram of the Death Star, and went on. "We now have the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. The weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected." She paused here, to let her next statement register its full effect. "Most important, we have learned the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the construction."_

 _A volley of spirited chatter erupted from the assembly. This is it. The chance. I hope no one could hope to hope for. A shot of the emperor._

 _Mon Mothma continued when the hubbub died down slightly. "His trip was undertaken in the utmost secrecy, but he underestimated our spy network. Many Bothans died to bring us this information." Her voice turned suddenly turn again to remind them of the price of this enterprise._

 _Admiral Ackbar steps forward. His specialty was Imperial defense procedures. He raised his hand and pointed at the holographic model of the force field emanating from Endor. "Although uncompleted, the Death Star is not entirely without a defense mechanism," he instructed in soothing Calamarian tones. "It is protected by an energy Shield which is generated by the nearby Moon of Endor, here. No ship can fly through it, no weapon can penetrate it." He stopped for a long moment. He wanted the information to sink in. When he thought it had, he spoke more slowly. "The shield must be deactivated if_ any _attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, the cruisers will create a perimeter while the fighters fly into the superstructure, here...and attempt to hit the main reactor..." he pointed to the unfinished portion of the Death Star "…somewhere in here."_

 _Another murmur swept over the room of commanders, like a swell in a heavy sea._

 _Ackbar concluded. "General Calrissian will lead the fighter attack."_

 _Han turned to Lando, his doubts gilded with respect. "Good luck, buddy."_

 _"_ _Thanks," said Lando simply._

 _"_ _You're gonna need it."_

 _Admiral Ackbar yielded the floor to General Madine, who was in charge of covert operations. "We have acquired a small Imperial shuttle," Madine declared smugly. "Under this guise, a strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator. The control bunker is well guarded, but a small squad should be able to penetrate its security."_

 _This news stimulated another round of general mumbling._

 _Leia turned to Han and said under her breath, "I wonder who they found to pull that one off?"_

 _Madine called out: "General Solo, is your strike team assembled?"_

 _Leia looked up at Han, shock quickly melting to joyous admiration. She knew there was a reason she loved him – in spite of his usual crass insensitivity and oafish bravo. Beneath it all, he had heart._

 _Moreover, a change_ had _come over him since he emerged from carbonization. He wasn't just a lone anymore, only in this for the money. H had lost his selfish edge and had somehow, subtly, become part of the whole. He was actually doing something for someone else, now, and that fact moved Leia greatly. Madine had called him_ General; _that meant Han had let himself officially become a member of the army. A part of the whole._

 _Solo responded to Madine. "My squad is ready, sir, but I need a command crew for the shuttle." He looked questioningly at Chewbacca, and spoke in a lower voice. "It's gonna be rough, old pal. I didn't want to speak for you."_

 _"_ _Roo roowfl," Chewie shook his head with gruff love, and raised his hairy paw._

 _"_ _That's one," Han called._

 _"_ _Here's two!" Leia shouted, sticking her arm in the air. Then softly, to Solo: "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, Your Generalship."_

 _"_ _And I'm with you, too!" a voice was raised from the back of the room._

 _They all turned their heads to see Luke standing at the top of the stairs._

 _Cheers went up for the last of the Jedi._

 _And though it wasn't his style, Han was unable to conceal his joy. "That's three," he smiled._


	8. Chapter VII

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! This one is short because I've been busy with the holiday. Just a little fluff to add to Han and Leia's personal relationship while I watch the Fugitive on AMC. ^.^ And yes, more to come.  
**

 **Italics credited to Kahn, as always.**

* * *

 **VII**

 _Leia ran up to Luke and hugged him warmly. She felt a special closeness to him all of a sudden, which she attributed to the gravity of the moment, the import of their mission. But then she sensed a change in him, too, a difference of substance that seemed to radiate from his very core – something that she alone could see._

 _"_ _What is it, Luke?" she whispered. She suddenly wanted to hold him; she could not have said why._

 _"_ _Nothing. I'll tell you someday," he murmured quietly. It was distinctly not nothing, though._

 _"_ _All right," she answered, not pushing. "I'll wait." She wondered. Maybe he was just dressed differently – that was probably it. Suited up all in black now – it made him look older. Older, that was it._

 _Han, Chewie, Lando, Wedge, and several others crowded around Luke all at once, with greetings and diverse sorts of hubbub. The assembly as a whole broke up into multiple such small groups. It was time for last farewells and good graces._

* * *

Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar had given all squadrons a few hours rest before leave. It was all they could spare without the Empire progressing too far in their construction. Leia and Lando felt they could take on the mission, but both insisted time was given for Han to recover and Luke to regroup with the Alliance.

Since returning from carbonization, Solo had been given little time to recover. Sure, he made himself look okay, but the last day on the _Falcon_ had proved otherwise to Leia. While Han was lying on his - their - bunk, unconscious, he began to reveal how sick he still was. Leia had alerted Threepio to help monitor his vitals, but told him not to mention any of it to the Corellian. She was sure he could handle himself for the Alliance, but feared for anything else.

She pushed her fears aside for the time being. Later, she would ask the medical wing to do a once over on Solo. For now, she agreed to return to their respective units to rest before departure.

"A General, what do you know?" Leia asked cheerfully, looking to her right to congratulate Han once more. Then, to her left, to admire her friend. "And Luke a Jedi Master!"

Han was quiet, but grabbed for Leia's hand. He was showing his jealous side more since Luke had rejoined them. Even though she felt closer to Skywalker now, she wouldn't dream of leaving Han for him. Even so, she enjoyed the ways Solo wanted to show the rest he cared for her.

"Standing in the presence of a Senator, Princess, and Rebel leader," Luke replied, notifying Leia that she was just as important as the two of them.

He walked with confidence, once again seeming older to Leia. Even the way he talked made him sound different.

"This _General,_ " Han mocked as the three approached their quarters, "needs a shower and a clean change of clothes."

Luke smiled, glad the smuggler's bitter attitude had returned. "I'm to meet with Wedge to plan our attack," he informed his friends, taking a step away.

"You won't rest at all?" Leia asked, insisting he needed to lie down.

Skywalker shook his head. "I can't let my guard down right now," he told her.

Leia gave in, giving her friend a hard stare. "We'll see you on Endor?" she probed.

He nodded. "Good luck, Han," Luke added, noting that Solo would be piloting their shuttle down.

"Thanks, kid," the General replied with serious gratitude.

When Luke left to visit Antilles, Leia glanced toward her own bunk. She knew the contents. It was neat. Her clothes were packed in their drawers nicely, as though she had been gone for the last year. Then, her mind wandered towards the bunk diagonal to hers. She pictured the mess she made when she last escaped the Rebel frigate almost eight months prior. Han's clothes were probably sticking out of the drawers. He might be missing a few shirts. The blanket which would be folded nicely at the end of his bed on a normal return would be hanging off at the foot, obviously slept in.

Leia was brought back to reality when she felt Han squeeze her hand. She made up an excuse so he wouldn't ask what was taking over her mind. "I think I should change into something of my own."

Solo looked her over but didn't argue. "I'll be in my bunk if you need me, Princess."

Leia froze while his hand left hers and he proceeded towards his own room. She watched him punch in the key code she had so easily cracked: 1300. Then, a wave of panic swept over her as she watched the doors reveal her mess.

"Han, wait!" she called desperately.

* * *

Solo walked into his bunk, silently taking it in. It was messy, perhaps more so than he remembered leaving it. Then, he heard Leia's call from somewhere still in the hallway. He paused, turning to face the doorway.

Leia appeared, her face full of embarrassment. Slowly, she peeked into the bunk and tried not to look at its appearance. She gazed at Han instead, attempting to read his expression. When that didn't work, she did her best to slow her heartbeat and connect with his own, like Luke could do, but she never got to that part of his training.

"Han, I…" Leia began, but no more words came.

Taking another look around the space, a smile formed across Solo's lips. "I think we've got a thief on board," he told her with fake shock masking his voice.

Immediately, Leia began to take steps towards the drawers under his bunk. Feeling bad, she figured it was best to clean up for him.

Han wasn't stupid, though. H read the shame in her body movements and grabbed her hand as she tried to pass him, stopping her in her tracks.

When she turned to look at him, he knew it all. It was easy to piece together. Leia had missed him. Leia had spent the last year living in his space. She wanted to stay as close to him as she could. And in this realization, Solo felt more loved by his new family than he ever had before, especially by the Princess.

Overwhelmed by admiration of her devotion, Han pulled her in and held her close. He kissed her cheek and rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes still taking in the mess she had left.

"I'm sorry, Han, I shouldn't have been in here," Leia whispered.

Solo broke off their hug, but instead of answering her, he crushed his lips against the Princess's, needing to kiss her. She returned the kiss, but when she tried to speak to continue her apology, Han backed her up against the nearest wall and, still kissing her, used a hand to key in his door code so they could be alone.

When Leia figured out what he was doing, she pushed him away and studied his eyes. "I didn't know if you were coming back," she whispered, forcing herself not to cry. She spent enough time crying in this room.

"I'm here," Solo told her, calming her fears.

Then, he was kissing her again, but not by his own desire. Leia took him on this time, almost as though she was afraid to lose him again. She felt fragile, but it didn't scare her. The Senator hidden inside of her from so long ago came out, giving orders as though it were once again her job. She used her hands instead of her voice and untucked Solo's shirt from under his belt, initiating it all.

Then, the new Alliance General spun the Princess around again, and next thing she knew, they were crashing down on his bunk.

She was not a Princess, he was not a smuggler, and this was not a war on the Empire. She was Leia, and he was Han, and they were both safe for right now.


	9. Chapter VIII

**A/N: I know that being all hyped up isn't in Han or Leia's style, but we have to admit, they must act as normal people, if not on screen, then behind the scenes.**

 **Please read and review! :)**

* * *

 **VIII**

After everything that had happened in the past few days, Solo wished there was more time to spend with Leia on the Rebellion frigate. He wished they could talk…there was so much he wanted to talk about. He wished they weren't continuously interrupted, but…

A knock on the door of Solo's quarters suddenly interfered. Han grunted in annoyance and broke off the kiss he was sharing with Leia.

"Han, don't-" Leia began.

"Easy, Princess," Han whispered back. "I'm not going too far away." He gave her another quick peck, then pushed himself off of the bunk.

"I was telling you not to forget your shirt, hot shot," Leia snapped, wrapping herself up with the blanket from the bunk.

Han winked at the girl on his bunk as he strode to the door. His appearance was less than appropriate, but he didn't care. This was supposed to be his resting time.

 _They're lucky I'm even answering_ , Solo thought as he ran a hand through his messed up hair.

The doorbell had interrupted he and Leia, leaving Leia's top just in her undergarments and Han shirtless. Solo took his belt and blaster holster off and his boots were in the corner. His pants felt loose – Leia had unbuttoned them, but that was all. This was the first time he had such little clothing on in front of anyone besides Chewie or his old one night stands.

"What?" Solo shouted as he allowed his door to slide open.

"Captain – excuse me, General – Solo, sir," a baffled Nera Dantels struggled to get out.

Nera had been an ally and friend to Leia prior to the last year's events. Han had seen the two talking from time to time, but didn't think much of her until now.

She observed Han's appearance, piecing it all together. Glancing back at Leia, who was trying to disguise herself in Solo's bed, she raised an eyebrow. "Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar are looking for Princess Leia. Shall I tell them you've seen her?" she asked innocently.

Han pulled in a deep breath and towered over her, trying to seem threatening. "I don't know what you're talking about," he growled. Then, he glanced back at Leia, then back to Nera, and whispered. "She'll be out in ten minutes."

The door wooshed closed in Nera's face and Solo sighed. He buttoned up his pants again and turned to face the Princess.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Han told Leia, cocking his head and wrinkling his forehead. "Looks like that's all we've got time for."

Leia easily got out of the bed and slipped back into her – Han's – old clothing. "I think I'll manage," she spat. Suddenly, her blood was boiling. Han had turned into his old, cocky self again.

"Hey!" Solo's face was full of concern. He watched as Leia picked up he boots and carried them out the door with her. "Come on, your Worship, hang on a second!" he called after her down the hall.

* * *

Leia continued to storm out of the crew quarters, leaving Han back in his bunk. She knew he'd quickly get dressed and chase after her. If she was lucky, he'd have the decency to put a shirt on, anyway. Lucky for her, the medical center was on her way to the briefing room, so she'd have them check on the General. That would buy her some time.

When Leia finally reached the main docking bay of the Rebellion Star Cruiser, Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar were waiting for her outside of the _Millennium Falcon_. Mon Mothma stood tall, elegant as ever, and bowed her head a little, acknowledging Leia's arrival.

"Princess," she greeted once Leia advanced to them. "I hope we had not interrupted anything."

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia spotted Nera prepping to jump into an A-wing. She must have alerted the leaders of her findings.

Turning red, Leia was forced to reply with as much dignity as she could. "Not at all," she lied.

"Good," the Alliance leader answered. Then, she turned towards the _Falcon_. "Chewbacca has alerted us that General Solo's ship is in need of repairs."

"Yes, she does need some work."

She went on. "General Calrissian needs a ship."

Horror flooded Leia's body. She knew Han had to pilot the Imperial ship the Alliance had gotten their hands on – it was the only way to land on Endor and ambush the Imperial guards. But she did not know that the Alliance intended on gifting him Han's ship to take into battle.

Admiral Ackbar broke into her thoughts. "With proper repairs, would General Solo be willing to aid us his freighter?"

"Wouldn't it be best to take a ship meant for fighting out to battle?" Leia asked, trying to protect Han's piece of junk. "Something less recognizable," she added.

"Possibly," Ackbar agreed. "But Calrissian once owned the _Millennium Falcon_ and will know how to pilot it already."

Leia couldn't argue his point. Han had gotten the freighter from Corellia, but only after winning her from a bet against Lando.

"We know Solo will be hesitant," Mon told her, as though she read the Princess's thoughts. "We need you to convince the General to give her up for the use of this attack."

Leia took in a breath and looked around. She had no idea what to do. Han would be devastated.

Mon must have understood why she was quiet, because she quickly added, "Surely personal issues won't be a problem here, Princess?"

Leia shook her head instantly, reminding herself that she was a Senator, a Princess, and somewhat of a leader under Mothma and Ackbar. She felt embarrassed, but pushed it aside; the whole Rebel fleet must be gossiping about her relationship with Solo. "No, not at all," she forced out.

"Good, we'll make necessary repairs while you are finishing your rest. I trust you may speak to him right away?" Mothma pried. "We must leave in no less than two hours standard time."

 _Two hours_ , Leia thought. That was barely enough time to prepare her bunk, prep her fleet, and convince Han to give up the _Falcon_. It would be a rough end of the day.

* * *

General Solo paraded through the corridors of the Rebel frigate, urgently trying to track down the Princess. Her stunt with the medical team had left him on order to take medication to help internal healing that he did not know he had to deal with. The carbonization had left a lot of scaring, inside and out, mental and physical.

Finally, he made his way out of the medical wing and located the briefing room. The small fighters, piloting the Gold, Green, and Red squadron, were all awaiting orders. Their leaders had them in groups, giving details on the plans for the attack on the Empire.

Solo scanned the room. No one he recognized besides Wedge. Luke must have finally been resting.

Han made his way through the crowded interior of the space and approached Antilles. "Wedge!" he called as he approached.

" _General_!" Antilles replied, calling Han by his new title with pride. Even though they weren't close friends, he knew Luke valued him, so that was enough to be friendly to the pilot.

"Yeah, yeah." Han dismissed the title as soon as it was said. "Listen, have you seen Leia anywhere?"

"Leia?" Wedge repeated. "Haven't seen her, but we've heard all about it. Good job, Solo!" he congratulated.

"For what?" Han asked, looking around the room as Wedge's squadron whistled him on. He was clearly confused.

"A smuggler getting the Princess." Antilles slapped Han on the back. "Who would've thought?"

Suddenly, Han felt anger burn through his veins. He had not been after Leia for a game, nor had anything more than a kiss happened between them. Sure, they had come close, but assuring Leia was okay was his first priority right now, not some sex scene the squadron seemed to believe had happened.

Solo didn't reply. It wasn't worth the argument. Turning, he decided to check the bunk again, in case Leia had returned from her meeting with the leaders while he was out searching for her.

Then, he was stopped by a familiar face and his heart plummeted into his feet. She had overheard the whole ordeal.

"Leia!" Solo called, attempting to make her stay.

The Princess was backtracking almost immediately, though. Calling after her was no use. Han jogged out of the briefing room to follow her, hoping if he caught up she would listen.

She didn't go far – Leia stood just outside, hiding her face from anyone inside the room.

"Leia, listen," Han began, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him with tears beginning to flood her eyes. She fought them – he could tell when she was resisting the urge to cry. As much as she wanted to portray herself as someone strong, no one could stay hard as a rock at all times of their life. Something, they broke down for a few minutes, and that was okay with him.

"I didn't tell them a thing," Han swore, scanning her eyes with her own to attempt to tell her he was being serious.

"Of course not," Leia snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "Nothing happened."

"I know nothing happened."

Leia stared up at Solo, wanting to hurt him and hug him at the same time. Her eyes must have shown the confusion, for Han pulled her into a soft embrace, even though she refused to hug him back.

"Leia," he whispered, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I love you, remember?"

"I know," she told him softly, mocking his infamous words.

Then, Leia felt a sway in Han's core. He wasn't frantic anymore – he was _depressed_. She studied his heartbeat for a moment, as Luke had shown her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. Some fear deep inside that he hadn't yet voiced.

"Han?" she questioned into his chest.

"It's nothing, Leia," he lied, knowing what she was trying to do. Then, he changed the subject. "Just forgive me, okay?"

Leia hesitated, but then accepted. "Okay, fly boy," she murmured.

Relieved, Han kissed her forehead and broke away from their hug. Leia could sense his happiness, but the thing she couldn't pinpoint was still there, hidden underneath. She would let it go for now, just as she had with Luke. Her eyes must have given her away, for Solo asked her what was on her mind.

"The _Falcon_ ," Leia whispered, almost afraid to ask.

Thankfully, Han was one step ahead of her. "Yeah, I was thinkin' about her," he told her. "Maybe I should let Lando take her. You know, to make sure she's safe and everything."

"You trust him that much?" Leia asked, stunned.

Han shrugged. "Rather give her to someone I know than have Mon Mothma dish her out for rental while we're gone."

Leia knew he was not all right, but he had motive behind his decision. She was proud of his ability to make sacrifices. Once again, he was showing her that he was doing this all for something besides the money, now.

For a moment she smiled, but that moment ended quickly as the doors to the briefing room flew open and the entire flight unit paraded out.

"Early attack!" Wedge called from inside the stampede of his own squadron as they passed the two in the hallway. "Loading up, then we're outta here!"


	10. Chapter IX

**A/N: Sorry for the long time between posts! I started a new job and have been busy moving into a new apartment... I promise to start writing more. I tried to keep this chapter PG-13. I think I may write out details and post a mini story, though, for those adults who may be reading.**

 **Once again, italics are excerpts from the novelization of "Return of the Jedi" and are not my own writing! They are provided scenes to help guide the reader to the point of the plot in which I am writing.**

* * *

 **IX**

 _The_ Millennium Falcon _rested in the main docking bay of the Rebel Star Cruiser, getting loaded and serviced. Just beyond it sat the stolen Imperial shuttle, looking anomalous in the midst of all the Rebel X-wing fighters._

 _Chewie supervised the final transfer of weapons and supplies to the shuttle and oversaw the placement of the strike team. Han stood with Lando between the two ships, saying goodbye – for all they knew, forever._

 _"_ _I mean it, take her!" Solo insisted, indicating the_ Falcon _. "She'll bring you luck. You_ know _she's the fastest ship in the whole fleet, now." Han had really souped her up after winning her from Lando. She'd always been fast, but now she was much faster. And the modifications Solo added had really made the_ Falcon _a part of him – he'd put his love and sweat into it. His spirit. So giving her to Lando now was truly Solo's final transformation – as selfless a gift as he'd ever given._

 _And Lando understood. "Thanks, old buddy. I'll take good care of her._ You _know I always flew her better than you did, anyway. She won't get a scratch on her, with me at the stick."_

 _Solo looked warmly at the endearing rogue. "I've got your word – not a scratch."_

 _"_ _Take off, you pirate – next thing you'll have me putting down a security deposit."_

 _"_ _See you soon, pal."_

 _They parted without their true feelings expressed aloud, as was the way between men of deeds in those times; each walked up the ramp into a different ship._

 _Han entered the cockpit of the Imperial shuttle as Luke was doing some find tuning on a rear navigator panel. Chewbacca, in the copilots seat, was trying to figure out the Imperial controls. Han took the pilot's chair, and Chewie growled grumpily about the design._

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah," Solo answered, "I don't think the Empire designed it with a Wookie in mind."_

 _Leia walked in from the hold, taking her seat near Luke. "We're all set back there."_

 _"_ _Rrrwfr," said Chewie, hitting the first sequence of switches. He looked over at Solo, but Han was motionless, staring out the window at something. Chewie and Leia both followed his gaze to the object of his unyielding attention – the_ Millennium Falcon _._

 _Leia gently nudge the pilot. "Hey, you awake up there?"_

 _"_ _I just got a funny feeling." Han mused. "Like I'm never going to see her again." He thought of the times she'd saved him with her speed, of the times he'd saved her with his cunning or his touch. He thought of the universe they'd seen together, of the shelter she'd given him; of the way he knew her, inside and out. OF the time they'd slept in each other's embrace, floating still as a quiet dream in the black silence of deep space._

 _Chewbacca, hearing this, took his own longing look at the_ Falcon. _Leia put her hand on Solo's shoulder. She knew he had special love for his ship and was reluctant to interrupt this last communion. But time was dear, and becoming dearer. "Come on, Captain," she whispered. "Let's move."_

 _Han snapped back to the moment. "Right. Okay, Chewie, let's find out what this baby can do."_

 _They fired up the engines in the stolen shuttle, eased out of the docking bay, and banked off into the endless night._

* * *

Once the shuttle was steady in space, Han had Chewie figure out how to get her into hyperspace so they could speed up their trip. The rest of the fleet was behind them, traveling at a normal pace in order to make their attack from space. They would not be needed until the attack on the second Death Star began. That would be well after the shuttle landed on Endor's moon and the fleet broke into the control panels.

Solo went back into a trance, thinking of the Falcon once more. Of all the things that he loved, she topped the list. She was part of him, and he was part of her, and even though the odds of them making it out of the mission alive were slim, he vowed to take her on a trip of their own once the war was over.

Luke was the first to break the solemn silence. Though he could feel the others starting to doubt themselves, he was always cheerful and light. "Mind if I try out the controls?" he asked, nudging his way between Han and Chewie.

"Sure, kid," Han replied, not thinking of what he was saying.

Chewie roared an acceptance, inviting Luke to trade seats with Han.

Solo let him, deciding to go wallow in his sorrows in the main hold.

Leia watched him leave, the breeze blowing gently as he passed. Thinking for a moment, she decided to join him. "I'll just be a moment," she muttered, knowing neither Luke nor Chewie were paying attention to her – they were too busy trying to decide which switch did what on the dash.

* * *

Solo made his way into the seat of the main hold, which resembled something of the sabacc table that was part of the _Falcon_. The familiar curve of the bench welcomed him.

Strangely, he thought of his ship and all that he had done for her, and all that she had done for him. His heart sunk. Of all the times he was in a tight squeeze, she was there for all of it. At least now, he still had his trusty sidekick: his DL-44.

Taking the blaster out of his holster, he inspected it closely. The barrel felt smooth in his hands, like it always had. The grip was ribbed, but it made it easy to hold on to. Han clicked the safety on and off a few times, listening to the sound. It was familiar. It was something he liked.

Several times during their trip to the Alliance frigate, Solo had anticipated being alone. But never was he alone like this. At the point when he had figured Leia had moved on, he debated ending it many times. But somehow, there was always something to stay for. Even now, there was something to stay for…to see his ship again.

Slowly, he turned the head of the blaster towards him. He stared into it, clicking the safety on and off again. If he wanted to, he could play Russian Roulette. At any moment he could pull his trigger, and that would be it. After the pain the carbon had caused him, and how empty he felt since he pushed himself on Leia, and especially how the Alliance had reacted… Solo tried to think of a reason not to.

And then, as if on cue, his mind was flooded with the same thoughts he had about the _Falcon_ , except for something else. Someone else. Leia. Han realized that he loved her just as dearly. She had stolen his heart, somehow, and she, along with the hopes of seeing his ship again, was the reason not to.

"Han?"

The voice rang from the side of the room, followed by silence so still that he suspected she were holding her breath.

When Solo turned his head, he spotted Leia coming from the cockpit to join him. At first, he couldn't understand the fear on her face, and then, he realized how things must look. His blaster, pointed straight at his face.

"Han, stop!" Leia shouted, making him jump.

And then, the Princess was sprinting towards him, ready to tackle. As a reflex, Han dropped the weapon, letting it bounce on the floor in front of him as he waited for her attack.

"Leia, it's fine, I'm fi-" Solo tried to reason, but it didn't matter.

The blaster released on impact against the ground, shooting just over his shoulder as Leia rammed into him.

The two tumbled to the ground, landing on the cold floor with a thud. Leia, luckily, was on top of Solo, so she didn't have to suffer the impact. The smuggler, unfortunately, didn't have the same fate.

Leia pushed herself off the floor and off of Han, ready to pull him up with her, but his body fell limp.

"Han?" Leia whispered, begging him to sit up on his own with her tone. "Han, answer me."

His face was still.

Leia felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Had she really just witnessed the infamous smuggler, whom she had just saved, take his own life? Things surely couldn't be that bad. For a moment, Leia wondered if she had not noticed him in pain since freeing him from the carbon. Had she missed something?

"I'm so sorry…" she told him, burying her face in his shoulder as she bent down to hold him.

"Save it, sweetheart," Solo's voice muttered from underneath her.

Leia pushed off the ground instantly, her eyes scanning Solo intently. He blinked his eyes open, rubbed his head where it had hit the floor, and sat up. His famous crooked smile crept onto his face as he met her gaze.

"You make me set her to stun, remember?" he told her playfully, hoping she would let it go.

Instead, the Princess huffed and pushed the Corellian back against the bench, making him hit his head again.

"Hey!" he snapped, groaning. "If you do that again, I might be dead!"

"I thought you were!" Leia barked in rage. Still, fear was present in her voice, too. "What are you thinking, Solo?! Of all people, _you_ want to take your own life?! I lost my whole planet and-"

Han rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, causing Leia to stop mid speech. "I wasn't trying to kill myself," he informed her as he laid back on the floor. It was the only way to kill his headache.

"Don't do that," the Princess ordered, dragging his body up into a sitting position once more.

The world swirled as Han was lifted up again. "Watch it, Princess," he argued. "I'm beginning to go blind again with all of this up and down."

"Good, you deserve it!" Leia was still furious. "How could you?!"

"I told you, I was just playing around with it. It wouldn't have gone off if you hadn't come running at me like that."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Leia gasped in disbelief. "Why, you scruffy, nerf herding, laser brained…" Slowly, her words turned from angry to sad, and she let herself break down. "…lucky pilot that I love…"

Then, she was sobbing into her own hands. She had seen her parents killed, her planet destroyed, her own fleet taken out…but never had she shown vulnerability.

"Hey," Han spoke softly, reaching for her. He pulled her in, holding her tightly as they sat on the floor. "Look, it just nipped my shoulder. I'm all right."

"I already lost you once!" Leia wept, speaking into his shoulder once again. "And then I come in here finding you pointing that thing at yourself!"

"It was stupid," Solo agreed. "I was just lost in thought. I wasn't paying attention."

"Thinking about what? About how you could get away from all of this?"

Han chuckled, but decided to have a serious remark back. "About how I think I love you more than the _Falcon_ ," he told her.

Leia looked up with wet eyes suddenly turning soft. She could feel her rushed breathing radiate against his face and bounce back at her as she studied him. He wasn't lying.

Instantly, Leia crushed her lips against his, grabbing at the back of his head desperately. Han was surprised by her sudden kiss, but embraced it. Even though he had had enough of the up and down after hitting his head, he pulled the Senator down slightly as he sunk back against the bench from the floor. He relaxed, leaning his head against the seat as he pulled the girl onto his lap, eager for more than just her kiss.

Leia knew little about what she was doing, but she didn't mind. She did know that the fleet wouldn't land for another hour or two, and despite the noise the two had just caused, neither Luke or Chewie had come to check on them. They were alone.

Then, Han's hands gripped her own as she brushed off his vest and reached for his belt. "Hey," Solo spoke, his breathing heavy. "There's no rush, Leia."

 _Leia._ He said her name again. Not Princess. Not Worship. Leia.

She gazed at him with longing eyes. "I don't want to risk you leaving me again," she told him in sorrow, catching her own breath. Again, she fumbled with his belt, failing miserably.

He laughed lightly watching her struggle. "I'm not going anywhere," Han told her as he helped her out and unclipped his holster.

"Good," Leia whispered feistily. "Because after this, you're not allowed to leave me."

Then, she pressed her lips against his again and pulled his shirt from his waist, revealing his flat stomach. She felt Solo smile against her lips as his warm hands traveled up her back, and finally, she felt at peace.


	11. Chapter X

**A/N: I'm not a fan of this chapter, but I wanted to get something written.**

 **Also, I've changed my username and have created a Wattpad under the same username, if you want to search me out on there as well.**

* * *

 **X**

Leia had never been the kind of girl that knew what she was doing with men. In fact, her life never allowed her to experience such interactions. As a small girl, her parents had watched her like a hawk. Once she began to grow up and realize the difference she could make as a Princess, she decided to become a Senator. A social life was never in the works for her, and she had accepted that.

Then, she had met Han. Solo was narcissistic, ignorant, and hot headed when they had first met; not on her list of qualities that she found attractive. Sure, Leia had bickered with him, but he had saved her life more than once, and Luke's life, for that matter. Somehow, he had lured her into liking him – into loving him. And somehow, she had gotten him into a mess with Darth Vader. Maybe it she hadn't fallen in love with him, he wouldn't have been put into that carbonite pit. Maybe he wouldn't be tired of his life, or ready to take it, as he seemed to be doing when she walked in on him.

The two were lying on the bench of the main hold's passenger seating, Leia's feet hanging off awkwardly at the bottom. Han had draped his vest over what mattered, since he had given his shirt away to Leia to keep her protected. In the off chance that Luke or Chewie decided to come check on them, he would rather have them walk in on him being half naked, instead of the woman he was holding onto to.

Taking a deep breath, Leia blinked and watched as her fingers traced the bare shoulder of the infamous smuggler, Han Solo. The same Han Solo that she could not stand being around just a couple of years ago.

"Hey," Solo whispered, grabbing her hand once it reached the top of his shoulder. He kissed it gently.

 _He's changed so much,_ Leia thought to herself as she felt his lips touch her skin.

"You okay?" Han asked, once again trying to get a response out of her.

"Fine," she told him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

Leia was unsure of what she felt. Yes, she had missed him, but this was completely out of character for her.

Solo frowned, feeling the resentment in her voice. "Maybe we should get changed," he suggested.

"No, stay," Leia replied urgently, whipping her head up to look at Solo.

He scanned her eyes and saw desperation momentarily. Solo opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Leia looked away again. "I'm always afraid of losing you, now," she confessed.

"I did it to myself," Han insisted. "Lando was _my_ friend, and it was _my_ choice to go to Bespin. You tried to warn me and I didn't listen. But trust me, Princess, I'm not going down again without a fight."

Leia admired his courage – a feature she _did_ happen to like the first time they had met. She couldn't help but chuckle as she remembered the many times she had told him she had a bad feeling about going to Cloud City.

"What?" Han asked, smiling himself.

"You're not such a hot headed nerf herder anymore, are you?"

"Well hold on now, your Worship!" Solo joked in his best taken aback voice. He stretched his body back so he could get a good glimpse of her reaction.

Leia simply rolled her eyes – she had become used to his banter and name calling. "Save it, fly boy," she teased, smacking his chest lightly.

"Now wait a minute," Solo interrupted. "You know I gotta ask."

"Ask what?"

"I'm the best guy you've been with, aren't I?" Solo asked, his cockiness coming out again.

Leia felt her cheeks burn red. She stared at him and watched his lips turn from his half-smile to a slight frown, but didn't reply. Words seemed to be caught in her throat. She had never talked to Solo about much of her past, including any type of relationship she may have had. She especially hadn't told him that she was new at everything that had just happened.

Han read her face like an open book – Leia had never been with a guy before. "You haven't… Leia, I-"

The Princess was quicker. She stood, and picking up the vest that was covering Solo's waist, she tossed it directly into his face. "Get dressed," she ordered. "Luke's coming."

"Luke?" Solo questioned, jumping into a standing position as Leia pulled on her boots over her bottoms, which were now securely buttoned at the waist. "How do you know?"

"I can feel it, remember? When he's close."

Han's heart urged to argue – he hated when she brought up the kid around him. They had some kind of bond that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Surely there was nothing; Leia had clearly just shown Solo that she had chosen him, but the constant comment about the Skywalker kid kept him wondering.

Frustrated, Solo pulled on his blood stripe lined pants and fastened his holster around his waist. "Shirt, please?" he asked Leia, waiting for it to be returned.

But before the Princess could react, the doors to the cockpit slid open and revealed Luke, who didn't seemed surprised by a shirtless Han Solo.

"Luke!" Leia exclaimed, just as surprised as she had been in the briefing room.

"Think you could take over, Han?" Skywalker asked, not mentioning how ruffled up Solo looked.

"I thought you didn't need to rest," Leia prodded, remembering how insistent he was that he stay awake and in zone for the upcoming battle.

"Even a Jedi needs sleep every now and then."

"All right, kid," Han agreed, awkwardly moving towards the cockpit holding Leia's old shirt in his hands. It would be tight on him, but he would make it work. "Take the Wookie with you, while you're at it."

From the cockpit, Chewbacca roared an argument, but all Han had to do was shoot him a warning glare and he shut himself up.

"Come on, buddy," Solo told his friend. "The Princess and I can take it from here."

Chewie rumbled something sarcastic, mentioning that he guessed at the events of the main hold while Han and Leia were missing.

"Come on, Chewie!" Luke called, shaking his head and smiling his boyish smile. It was obvious he could understand Wookie, now.

Leia, body fuming, stomped her way past Solo and into the cockpit, crossing her arms as she shoved against his shoulder when she passed. Rolling his eyes and taking a deep breath, Han met Luke's gaze and shrugged.

"Princesses," Solo told him, trying to brush it off.

* * *

Inside the cockpit, Leia stared ahead, taking in the beauty that was space. Even though she was so used to seeing it, she had never taken it for granted. Sometimes, it put her at ease knowing nothing dramatic happened out here unless it was a part of some living creature that was foreign to this part of the galaxy.

She was still embarrassed by what she hadn't told Han. Secretly, Leia had known all along that unless she told him, he would assume. But it wasn't even the fact that he didn't know that it would be her first time that bothered her. It was that he had assumed – he assumed because he was so good at it. She was probably just part of a list or some mental game he had been playing his whole life, trying to see who he could seduce.

 _But he loves you_ , she argued herself, trying to convince herself otherwise. _And you love him._

The sound of closing doors sounded behind her, breaking into her thoughts.

"Checking out the stars?" she heard Solo ask as he sat down in the pilot's seat, put a shirt on, and placed his headset on. When she didn't reply, he pressed further. "Look, sweetheart, I didn't know. If I had, I would've stopped you."

"Stopped me?" Leia snapped, sending a glare his way.

"I thought you were just nervous."

Leia snorted a sarcastic laugh. "You wouldn't be one to know nervous."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Han asked, disgusted. Did she really think that little of him?

"Nothing," Leia told him, turning away to look out the far right window of the cockpit.

"Leia."

Han spoke softly, making the Princess shut her eyes tightly, hoping to take back the past few hours.

"Leia, come on," Solo pleaded.

When it was obvious he was not giving up, Leia whipped her head around to face him once more. "You want me to tell you how obvious it is that I'm on your list now? Or that you want me to tell you how it was so you can compare it to your last rendezvous?"

Stunned, Solo stammered out, "No, I wanted to know because I didn't want you to hate it and stop loving me. And now I want to know because I wish I would've done things differently."

"How?" she demanded.

"Well," he began. "For one, I would've waited until we weren't on our way to death."

"Morbid," Leia muttered, but her eyes softened.

Han ignored her snide remark. "I just wanted you to enjoy it, sweetheart, that's all…" he mumbled, finally giving up.

He flicked a lever on the dash and began listening for any incoming broadcasts. It was silent.

Something in Leia finally sparked and she softened, forgiving him. After all, it was her own fault for not filling him in. "I love you, _General_."

He winked. "I know."


End file.
